Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-06
THE srRANGEsTORY OF MR.. BECK.

.
THE STRANGEsTORYO OF MIR. BECK.
He Says He Has for Twelve Years Worn
the Paint and Feather 81 . Si00x.
HE rs NOW HERE TO GET POSSESSION OF HIS vrrx-
HIS ACCOUNT OF HIS cAPrURE-HK HAS NOW AN IN
DIAN FAMILY AS WELL AS PALE-FACE oSR-His
LIFE As AN INDIAN AND RECENT ESCAPE
Sebastian Beck, man who has strange story
70 tell, has been IN the city some days He is a
sort OF Rip Van Wrinkle, having returned TO civil
tzAton after twelve years not exactly OF sleep but
as he says, OF life as a captive among the Indians.
His broken English, vagabondish appearance and
somewhat dilapidated attire also suggest re-
semblance OF his case to that OF Rip Van Wrinkle.
His story has been told oniciaily to the Commits
sioner OF Indian Affairs and unoicially to q STAR
reporter. In brief, the story is that he ana his
family were captured by the Sioux in Deadwood
Gorge In 1873; that he Was then separated from
his wife and children and held In captivity twelve
years. until he made his escape this spring. He
believes sa bus wife and children az: atm held cap
OF Indian Affairs 70 md them. while n captive
s snSag the sioux he was rsSuirsd to Merry 2
the present time REQ wife ana
four papooses. In case Beck does NOT succeed
the Indian Once to Pee h% 70 reunion 1 esn ms
red-skin Mrs. Beck. 50 the situation IL somewhat
interesting Beck is about nifty years Of age has
eyes, and a general appearance Of toushness due
undoubtedly 10 twelve years Of dieting on ,erked
he II dssss cir
the more difficult TO understand a. he occasionally
throws In q sentence or two OF the Sioux dialect
SEBASTIAN BEcKs STORY.
His story, as he told 1t to STAR reporter is sub
stantially AZ follows: Sebastian Beck II q native
Of Hohenzoliern, Prussia He enlisted In the
United States Army August IL, 1857, served In Co.
=, 9th infantry, and was honorably discharged &C
the expiration Of his term at Fort Laramie, Neb.,
In August, 1870 After his term expired he re-
turned home TO Philadelphia He remained there
until the spring OF 1875 when he Joined party OF
wood Gorge, In the Black Hilis, In search Of gold
Beck took his family with him, CONSISTING OF his
Mie ac Saugnts Annie aga eighteen daash
Ra' Inc Sa%p qS Ses
from the point where the men were mining. In
ao0uI three months they had accumulated over
$4,000 as the result OF their industry. Then they
moved 10 work another vein about miles away.
CAPTURED BY THE SIOUX.
On the 22d OF July q band OF sioux, numbering
about 600 warriors, swept down upon the gorge
while the men were at the diggings separated
from their women and children. The whole party
and children by another. The men were blind.
folded and securely bound upon Indian ponies,
and thus made TO travel for ten days. The other
band OF Indians took the women and children IA q
different direction, and since that day Beck has
not heard from or seen his wife and children. His
Black Moons band. he supposcs that she and her
daughters have been married to Indiana as 10 the
custom with the Sioux. Beck tells an Interesting
He was taken FIRST. with the other male captives
to the Rosebud country. After being held prts-
oner eleven months he was married 70 On Indian
bQuaw, q Cheyenne woman who was In cap
uvity.
HIS REDsEIH BRIDE.
This was Monica, young squaw, then not eigh.
teen years old, and, Beck says q great beauty. He
was compelled to marry and 70 adopt the customs
Of the Indians or die So he made the best Of It.
squaw: Monica is now at Fort Laramie. In the
land OF the setting sun, surrounded by four little
to h ss Ss
was treated roughly by them. They had An un-
pleasant habit OF circling about him in their war
dances, with their scalping knives upirted and or
tiourishing their tomahawks over his head. Within
a lew months, however the redskins changed their
treatment. Beck ana his fellow prisoners were
clad In Indian attire. Beck was adopted into the
tribe when he took an Indian wife. He was first
put to trial by being thrown from rock into deep
water. He showed his skill and strength by SWIM
ming from the water and climbing the face OF the
preciptous rock TO place OF safety. The Indians
howed and crooned and danced q wild kind or a
jig about his dripping figure, and Beck was thus
Initiated as q member, but not exactly an active
member, for he was always kept under watch and
never fully trusted.
PAINTED RED By Hm souAw.
When he had been thus baptized he was turned
over to his squaw, who helped the thing along by
painting her husband q coppery red from the
crown OF his head down to his toes Then he was
given bucEskin leggings, q wig OF raven hair,
the skull OF some redskin enemy OF the sioux, and
full equipment OF primitive weapons-a toma-
hawk, kniIe and bow and arrow. Feathers were
stuck into the ctncture that bound his wig on
Plain Mr.. Beck emerged from all this Ia outward
sembiance Sioux warrior, though any visitor to
the tribe that ran across an Indian brave volubiy
Ia NOR a In In
Emmett style, might have been greatly amazed at
the singular combination. The Sioux, however,
gave him the name OF sTouch-the.C Cloud" and and
called him chief He, with other prisoners were
required TO practice with the bow and arrow, but
Indians lived In every way IKE the genuine red
skin, and occasionally wore the war paint their
faces being besmeared with yellow stripes and
bars. Beck's chief was Sitting Bull, the great
Sioux warrior.
HE WITNESSED THE CUSTER MASSACRE
After few months on the Rosebud the tribe
started on their travels and it this expedi-
ton that they encountered and annihilated Gen.
Clusters command on the Little Big Horn, q tight
that Beck witnessed from a distance The
Indians were informed by spies, Beck says, that
Custer was coming. The redskins were formed on
the mountain-tOp awaiting the coming OF custer
into the valley below. The entrance was by a
canon, through which only four cavalry men
On the mountains where he could get q good view,
spy-glass in hand. Then the old chief mutuered In
the Q1me-nOvel style, "Hal CuSterI GO0dg He
at once disposed OF his men. He built up camp
fires, and about. 1t by means OF poles wigs, buffalo
robes and blankets, made q number OF dummy
Indians. When Clusters men came on, Beck says
they exhausted their ammunition nr1ng at the
dummies. Then 5000 redskins poured In upon
them from every side and maSsacred the whole
command, only one man escaping with his life
During the night the prisoners were kept in the
rear under guard and could not communicate with
the brave band OF soldiers that were riding into
Sitting Bulps trap. Beck says that he found Gen.
Clusters watch on the scene OF the massacre and
also the watch belonging TO Gen Cr1ttendens son,
who was killed with Custer. These watches he
gave to Chief Rain-in-the-face The Crfttenden
watch was sold by Rain-in-the-face TO q Manitoba
ranchman, who, by writing 10 the London maker
OF the watch, aScertatned TO whom IL had belonged
and sold 1t In turn to the family OF Gen. Crtten-
den.
CARRIED INTO THE BRITISH COMMONS.
From the Little Big Horn the Indians Travelled to
the Red River country, crossing into the province
OF Manitoba and pitching their camp near Fort
walsh. In this country Beck spent the remaining
years OF his captivity, and found consolation Ia
the little family OF half breeds that began rising
around him. He and his fellow prisoners were
never fully trusted even after they had esrab-
nshed families OF very respectable size They were
not allowed to wander more than mile and q
half from camp. The camp was always plcketed
by Indians. Lank and savage Indian dogs were
always lurking about ready TO make q charge on
any bogus Indian who attempted to escape This
spring Beck and the fve prisoners, with Rain-in-
the-face's ban1, planned TO escape. They had
lived so long with the redskins In apparent con-
Shne ontr int kro (orS